My stock Align ESC decided on firing itself today. It happend just after the beeps after power up. Then it let out just a little amount of smoke, nothing massive, right when I was going/trying to spool up. The BEC was still working after the smoke.

Next I unplugged the battery, and checked visually (ie shorted motor wires), so I could find out why would the esc go up in smoke. I replugged in the battery to see what would happend if I tried to spool up again, and the motor tries to spool up however its like half pulses. It seems as half of the esc is fried, also it doesn't beep anymore at startup but does respond to throttle commands from the rx.

I was not using the stock Align motor when it happend, I was using the new Scorpion 3026-1400kv motor, same that Fireup (Kevin) is using in his. I had 5 flights with no issues and was about to have my 6th flight with that motor. I did check the motor after the esc fired, to rule it out. I tested it with my CC 85HV speed controller off my Trex 600 and it spools up just fine without issue.

Looks like my ESC is just a bad one from the beginning, I had a brownout on it early (First hard flight), and now it went up in smoke.

Now I need to pickup an ESC and BEC.

Thanks.

flypilot

01-20-2008, 06:44 PM

I also had problems with my ESC, it decided to reboot my Ar6200 receiver on my second flight...not very funny..So in goes my trusty Spin 75 with Hercules HV BEC....

Finless

01-20-2008, 09:18 PM

Yep sound slike a bad ESC... Not the first. Call up assurance RC as I am sure they will replace it.

Bob

Eyefly

01-20-2008, 10:01 PM

If they will not replace it, drop me a pm. I am about to list mine up for sale. Gonna use my Jazz 55.

dogfart

01-20-2008, 10:14 PM

I had problems with 2 Align ESCs. The 75A smoked.

With the 100A ESC, the signal wire burned to a crisp as soon as I plugged in the battery. Does anyone have any idea why that would have happened?

lowflyer101

01-20-2008, 11:11 PM

both my align 100a on trex 600 and 60A on trex500 work great, i use external bec, and mount them with double sides foam tape only.

my friend using zip tie esc to frame too tight and it smoked after 3-4 flights.

dogfart

01-20-2008, 11:54 PM

both my align 100a on trex 600 and 60A on trex500 work great, i use external bec, and mount them with double sides foam tape only.

my friend using zip tie esc to frame too tight and it smoked after 3-4 flights.

Is it possible to attach an ESC to a frame "too tightly?" Why should how tightly an ESC is attached affect whether or not it smokes?

Aberdeen

01-21-2008, 04:42 AM

why using ties, if you make it too tight, you stand a good chance in lifting the heatsink off the fet's. with no heatsink the fets will overheat and go puff.
I mount mine under tha battery tray with just Velcro.

tcast305

01-21-2008, 11:30 AM

I just went ahead and ordered a new Castle Creations Phoenix 80 amp ESC and a Medusa BEC 3.5amp 5/6v. Should have it installed by this week.

I went with the 80amp esc vs the 60amp, because its only 2 grams heavier and the scorpion motor is more power hungry.

Thanks.

dogfart

01-21-2008, 04:15 PM

why using ties, if you make it too tight, you stand a good chance in lifting the heatsink off the fet's. with no heatsink the fets will overheat and go puff.
I mount mine under tha battery tray with just Velcro.

Hum. I will have to closely inspect mine and see if the heat sink became separated.

I am pretty sure that when the 1st ESC puffed it shorted out the AR7000 Rx, which I didn't check before I replaced it with the ESC that promptly caught fire. I have a new Rx on order, which I will install before replacing the ESC again.

dogfart

01-21-2008, 09:53 PM

Well, I checked out my smoked ESC, and it looks like my heat sink did not separate. (And from the way the design of the Align 75A ESC looks to me, doesn't seem like a tight wire tie could cause a separation.)

Aberdeen

01-22-2008, 06:51 PM

Hum. I will have to closely inspect mine and see if the heat sink became separated.

I am pretty sure that when the 1st ESC puffed it shorted out the AR7000 Rx, which I didn't check before I replaced it with the ESC that promptly caught fire. I have a new Rx on order, which I will install before replacing the ESC again.

I took several ones apart.

the heatsink are just put in place (top and bottom)
and the sides are very thin sheet metal like as thin as paper with adhesive that hardly has anything to stick to. So basilcally, the heatshrink is the only thing holding the heatsinks flush on the many fets the ESC has.. So the slightest deformity from stress lifts the heatsinks up from the fets, and the fets get smoked.

Easy eh?

Anthony

dogfart

01-22-2008, 07:21 PM

I took several ones apart.

the heatsink are just put in place (top and bottom)
and the sides are very thin sheet metal like as thin as paper with adhesive that hardly has anything to stick to. So basilcally, the heatshrink is the only thing holding the heatsinks flush on the many fets the ESC has.. So the slightest deformity from stress lifts the heatsinks up from the fets, and the fets get smoked.

Easy eh?

Anthony

Agreed, but is it a fact that the pressure from a wire tie is likely to deform the sheet metal? A wire tie might serve to secure the heatsink as flush as it was when it was manufactured.

fogger

01-22-2008, 07:47 PM

How about the more obvious reason: cheap components just plain failing?

-Fog

dogfart

01-23-2008, 05:25 PM

How about the more obvious reason: cheap components just plain failing?

-Fog

The ESC that smoked on me may have failed because of inadequate design or construction. You might call it "cheap" for one or both of those reasons. Granted, it cost a lot less than a Jazz, but still, at $100.00 it wasn't cheap to buy.

fogger

01-23-2008, 07:10 PM

cheap is relative I guess man :) a high end sc capable of 75+ amps (80-6-18 comes to mind) is more than double that cost...

-Fog

tcast305

01-23-2008, 07:20 PM

I would like to update everyone.

I purchased a Castle Creations 80 amp ESC, and a Medusa Potencia 3.5 Amp 5v/6v HV BEC. I installed them today. but only had time for one flight today, but it went without issues.

I have the BEC set to 6v and I'm using a step down for the tail. The Medusa BEC fits nicely on the bottom frame plate at the rear of the heli.

Below are pics of my setup.

Thanks.

fr8brkr

01-23-2008, 07:28 PM

Perhaps, Align should just remove the ESC from the package and let the consumer make the choice. I am amazed that with aftermarket upgrades already infiltrating the market for the 500, that anyone would stand for the original equipment not holding up.

erniefritz

01-23-2008, 07:44 PM

the stock ESC does just fine and holds up , i've got many flights on mine and no issues. the problem is when 1 out of 1000 people have an issue that 1 posts on HF and everyone reads it. nothing goes to the thousands that aren't having issues. in mass production , your going to have some items that make it into the kits that don't work properly. i purchased a Castle ESC last year that smoked on spool up on my 600E because i heard of a bad ESC. i sent it back and they replaced it but in the mean time i flew the stock ESC , never had a problem and never changed it back out to the CC.

If you get a bad ESC or Motor , have Align switch it out for a good one and keep flying...

ghostrider414

01-25-2008, 10:32 PM

I would like to update everyone.

I purchased a Castle Creations 80 amp ESC, and a Medusa Potencia 3.5 Amp 5v/6v HV BEC. I installed them today. but only had time for one flight today, but it went without issues.

I have the BEC set to 6v and I'm using a step down for the tail. The Medusa BEC fits nicely on the bottom frame plate at the rear of the heli.

Below are pics of my setup.

Thanks.

What Scorpion motor are you using and did you grind a spot on it .

tcast305

01-26-2008, 12:43 AM

I'm using the 1400kv version, and I did have to grind a flat spot. Its very easy to do with a dremel.

Thanks.

Aberdeen

02-04-2008, 12:57 AM

Agreed, but is it a fact that the pressure from a wire tie is likely to deform the sheet metal? A wire tie might serve to secure the heatsink as flush as it was when it was manufactured.
Not in this case.
You could of had velcro securing it, and it would of buckled like a house of cards.

Actually the die-electric tape holds the heatsink in place, for heatshrinking.

Aberdeen

02-04-2008, 12:59 AM

How about the more obvious reason: cheap components just plain failing?